MST may have to reduce service

A possible cut-off of federal transit money prompted Monterey-Salinas Transit officials to plan for scaled-back service as a contingency.

The agency said Tuesday that a modified schedule similar to Sundays on most routes would begin Jan. 5 unless MST receives assurances federal funding will continue.

Federal grant money accounts for about 25 percent of the agency's operating budget.

California's new pension reform law has come under fire from the Amalgamated Transit Union, which has called upon the U.S. Department of Labor to withhold federal funds from MST and other California public transit operators, the agency said Tuesday.

The modified schedule would be in place until a resolution of the issue is reached, the agency said.

Should that not happen by the end of the year, MST will hold a 5:30 p.m. Jan. 2 meeting in Salinas City Hall and a 5:30 p.m. Jan. 3 meeting at the Monterey Bus Stop Shop, 150 Del Monte. Ave., Monterey, to get public comment on the proposed service cuts.